Plugboard, template, and custom composite column recipes

[chaley]

You want to change the title permanently in your calibre library, adding the series name and number? One could debate whether or not this is a good idea. My opinion: it isn't.

Assuming you really want to do this, select the books you want to change, then use edit metadata (bulk), search & replace. Use regular expression mode so you get the advanced options. Choose "template" as the source, provide a template that produces the output you want (it will be like the plugboard templates), choose "title" as destination. Check the samples to be sure you are getting what you want. Press OK and wait a while. Changing the title requires moving files around on the disk, and this can take a long time.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by emellaich

Sorry, for such a basic question, but I'm still trying to educate myself on what plugboards do. I didn't see (understand?) this in the previous postings.

I want to be able to add the series name/number to my title in my Calibre collection. As I understand it, plugboards are only activated when you save to disk or send to device. Is there a way to select a batch of books, and apply a plugboard or template to change only those books in Calibre? Of course, I wouldn't want it reapplied then when I send it to device.

Any thoughts?

Bulk Metadata edit mode (2 or more titles selected) has 2 features that affect the selected Books:
1) the main tab, allows the selected fields to be made all the the same (value). It also provides some 'adjustments' to sorts, and other derived data. It can be dangerous: you can make every book (selected) have the SAME Author

2) Search and replace (tab). Here you can modify field contents. The rules depend on what field. Needles to say, it is complicated because it is extremely powerful (and extreme disasters can happen if you don't plan and use care). It has a WYSIWYG test area to view before you commit by pressing the button. OMG's happen. A FULL Library backup before use on a large number of books, is warranted so yo can replace the destruction with the good copy (this area can change internal folder and File names along with the Metadata, from which, only a full restore is the recovery)

[speakingtohe]

I strongly agree with Chaley that it is not a good idea.

I did this once upon a time and had to undo it for aesthetic reasons.

Plus I had some really long titles sas a result that caused path too deep problems and you could often not see the whole title unless you scrolled in the field.

One suggestion is to use a composite column made up of title and series and display it as your first column. Then you could see how it worked for you without actually changing the books. Probably it could be used as your plugboard input as well. Custom columns can be deleted easily without any effect on your books.

Helen

[Euclase]

Hello! I hope you more experienced users will kindly help me. I tried multiple forum searches and didn't quite see the answer I was looking for. If this has been resolved previously or if I'm posting in the wrong area, please pardon this newbie.

What I want is to have my Kindle mirror the Series Colum as I see it when sorting by Series alphabetically in the Calibre Library. My current plugboard code is the tried and true:
{series:|| }{series_index:0>2s|[|] - }{title}

Is there a method for making Kindle display all non-series titles together as a group before all other titles that are parts of series?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[chaley]

To sort series ahead of other titles on my Sony, I put a % character in front of the series name so that it sorts alphabetically before everything else. Something similar could be used to move them to the end.

Any other suggestions must wait for someone with a kindle.

[Gary_M_Mugford]

Originally Posted by Euclase

Hello! I hope you more experienced users will kindly help me. I tried multiple forum searches and didn't quite see the answer I was looking for. If this has been resolved previously or if I'm posting in the wrong area, please pardon this newbie.

What I want is to have my Kindle mirror the Series Colum as I see it when sorting by Series alphabetically in the Calibre Library. My current plugboard code is the tried and true:
{series:|| }{series_index:0>2s|[|] - }{title}

Is there a method for making Kindle display all non-series titles together as a group before all other titles that are parts of series?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Euclase,

Check out the ifempty function. My own Kindle pegboard is a bit convoluted since it uses custom columns to reduce the series title to six characters or less (using initials where necessary). But the principal can probably help you.

[{#readrank:ifempty(9)}{#genre:ifempty(SF)}] {#stripped_series:lookup(.\s,#initials,.,#shortene d,series)}{series_index:|-|-}{title}

Note the use of ifempty in a couple of the columns. What I would do with yours is to try series:ifempty(--) in place of series:. That would create a -- at the start of any title without a series entry and those SHOULD sort to the front in title sort on the Kindle. Haven't tried it, but it 'should' work.

GM

[PepSnick]

First of all, this thread has been very informative - thank you!

I have been working on my calibre library and uploading to my unrooted Nook Color for the better part of the day. I was just about finished when something odd started happening, that i'm hoping somebody can help me figure out.

For one, I'm using this in the authors section.

{authors} {series:|[|} {series_index:0>2s|(|)]}

It's been working pretty well until I actually finished with my entire library and uploaded to my nook color. Then, all the sudden there were *27!!* books out of place.

Now, they all have their series and such where it's supposed to be, but all the other authors underneath them are in alphabetical order, whereas these .. are just randomly put at the top. I've been looking over their metadata and making sure everything is correct but I can't seem to find the culprit. What would fix this? Do I need to completely delete the books from my library and device, and reupload them again? It just started doing this, it has been perfect all day long!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by PepSnick

First of all, this thread has been very informative - thank you!

I have been working on my calibre library and uploading to my unrooted Nook Color for the better part of the day. I was just about finished when something odd started happening, that i'm hoping somebody can help me figure out.

For one, I'm using this in the authors section.

{authors} {series:|[|} {series_index:0>2s|(|)]}

It's been working pretty well until I actually finished with my entire library and uploaded to my nook color. Then, all the sudden there were *27!!* books out of place.

Now, they all have their series and such where it's supposed to be, but all the other authors underneath them are in alphabetical order, whereas these .. are just randomly put at the top. I've been looking over their metadata and making sure everything is correct but I can't seem to find the culprit. What would fix this? Do I need to completely delete the books from my library and device, and reupload them again? It just started doing this, it has been perfect all day long!

Can you Nook sort by Date (added) You might select Alphabetical instead

[PepSnick]

Originally Posted by theducks

Can you Nook sort by Date (added) You might select Alphabetical instead

It has the option of sorting by Author, Newest and something else I'd need to grab it and check, but i tried all 3 .. it is usually set by Author, and that does it Alphabetically by last name, and the series names didn't seem to affect the outcome of the list.

But see, in the 27 that are placed wrong, they have others by the same author and series that are still in place, and if they did take the whole author collection, the books are scattered up top and not in any order up there either.

For example, if I had 2 Sara Shephard series, they would be in Alphabetical order by Author and then by Title, but one of the books wound up on top in no order at all, while the rest stayed in order on bottom. Or, if it took both series and put them on top, they were mixed in and not in order. The top section with the 27 books seems to be there with no rhyme or reason.

Doesn't make any sense ..

Of the 27 that are out of place and jumbled, there doesn't seem to be a common denominator, at least not to my eyes.

[theducks]

Are your series numbers formatted to 2 digits?
02
03
10
22

and not
1
10
2
22
3

[PepSnick]

Originally Posted by theducks

Are your series numbers formatted to 2 digits?
02
03
10
22

and not
1
10
2
22
3

They are numbered with 2 digits. The formatting and everything is working like a charm, I have it set to do this Author [Series Name (Series Number)]

[PepSnick]

Last night I tried to delete the book from device and calibre, and reupload the same book .. I changed some metadata around and when I uploaded it back in, the covers and everything changed but they stayed up top.

Just now I deleted a book from the device and reuploaded a different copy of the same book. I'm about to find out if it helped or not .. just waiting for it to boot up.

---

Nope .. didn't work. There's gotta be something I'm missing .. but I really don't see any similarities between the titles up top.

Here's the top five:

Birthmarked
Caragh M. O'Brien [Birthmarked (01)]

White Cat
Holly Black [Curse Workers (01)]

Beautiful Creatures
Kami Garcia [Beautiful Creatures (01)]

Nevermore
Kelly Creagh [Nevermore (01)]

The Faerie Ring
Kiki Hamilton [The Faerie Ring (01)]


They're not just all the first in the series though .. there are some different ones further down.

[jackie_w]

There's probably not enough examples to draw conclusions, but those 5 are in Author (FN LN) sequence.

[PepSnick]

You're right! When I go further down the list they stay that way for the most part, when they reach (02) they repeat the process .. the only one that doesn't make sense is for a book that is a 4.5, then after it they start the (01) again.

So for some reason it's not sorting by last name for those 27 books anymore. Any clue how to fix that?

[PepSnick]

The weird thing about this is that they WERE in correct sequence until I actually finished the entire library, then all the sudden they were up top .. I hadn't changed anything on them so I don't know why they did that. You think there's some sort of bug? Is there a way I can alter it somehow? Calibre has them sorted correctly .. and I know theres a way you can edit the files a bit because people have done them to show covers in the NC (I just convert epub to epub to get the covers if i have an error).

I'm baffled.